


It's Hard To Kiss the Champion of Alola

by miraimisu



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: And Fails Every Time, Because Gladion is SO done, Canon Compliant, Dynamic: Gladion Makes Several Frustrating Attempts to Kiss Moon, F/M, Failed kisses, Romance, Soft but Eager Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:20:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22266265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraimisu/pseuds/miraimisu
Summary: Defeating a legendary beast is easy. Being the king of Battle Royale might be easy. Pulling his family back together might be easy. Taming a beast that could make ribbons out of gods? Easy. Being the President of an entire foundation he managed to build back to its glory is a kid's game compared to this.Kissing the Champion of Alola and the latest addition to the Aether Foundation, however, might be a different story.
Relationships: Gladio | Gladion/Moon
Comments: 8
Kudos: 68





	It's Hard To Kiss the Champion of Alola

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pkmntrashcan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pkmntrashcan/gifts).



Gladion considers himself to be a patient, wise man. Well, the first part is partially untrue: he still doesn't like waiting for the things he likes and he still throws an internal fit when queues at the Battle Royale take too long to clear up.

Still, Gladion is wise and infinitely patient with the things he doesn't like.

In days like these, however, he's reminded of his own impatience as Moon stands right before him, notebook hugged to her chest as she laughs at something he had just said and that he can't bother remembering– not when she laughs like that without a care and all that matters is seeing her smile.

In the light of his office, she looks tired and a bit older. Her eyes are crinkled at the corners in mirth. She's sitting in front of his desk, writing down a few things as he rises to check her notes with her.

His eyes briefly look at the clock behind him. It's 2 in the morning and he should be in bed– _she_ should be boarding a ferry to Akala, but she's still here with him, she's warm under him and he could and _should_ offer her a bed to sleep under tonight.

Instead, he says something else. "Never thought the Champion of Alola would get so much data from one single field day. I should have you here instead of half the investigators Faba hired last week."

Her giggles are pleasant in his ears. Silvally, curled on the sofa of his office, lets out a soft trill at the noise, and Moon addresses the creature with a small wave before turning to Gladion again, standing up. He backs off to let her maneuver to his desk.

Moon tucks some papers inside her notebook. "It's nothing that great. I owe most of this to Wicke," she says, humble as always. Gladion is standing at a safe distance behind her, but he hears her smile as if he was looking right at her. "I should be thanking you instead, President. You've been giving me leads all this week."

Gladion releases a rare chuckle. "I didn't put the pieces together, you did. You know perfectly well that people in Alola regard you as one of the most intelligent people around. You _deserve_ the praise."

At his unprecedented compliments, Moon turns around, eyes a little wide and blinking with shocking intensity. Gladion instantly realizes that it's a little too late in the night and that his slip of honesty could very well embarrass him, so he clears his throat and looks to a side.

Moon, like the kind soul she is, laughs it off, equally tired. "Oh, Gladion, you must be exhausted to be so nice to me."

"You know very well I don't have an issue being kind to you, Miss Champion," he admits with a small smirk, arms crossed.

Moon finishes picking her things up, tucking one pencil in the pocket of her lab coat and a strand of hair behind her ear. She cranes her head to look at him with a sincere smile skirting around the likes of a smirk. "Oh, you're _very_ tired, indeed. If Hau hears you being so nice he will throw a tantrum. You're always so edgy with him."

As she turns again – probably to look over her papers in the notebook – Gladion frowns. "Hey, it's not my fault he's _so_ insistent about dating Lillie. He's a pain on my back."

"You're too overprotective."

"Am not."

Moon hums in fake agreement. "Sure thing, President." Her shoulders shake with a giggle. "You're just salty because Lillie will go on a date before you ever do. She has been trying to set you up with a few people, you know."

"Considering I've gone on a few uncalled for dates this week, I think I know about the issue, yeah."

She nods. "You could have given them a chance, you know. I know you think dates are dumb and that you're busy, but you could have..."

She trails off as Gladion's hand curls around her shoulder and nudges her to turn her around. Moon hesitantly turns halfway to look up at him, confusion written over her face as he faces her from above, eyes confoundingly focused on her. The fabric of the lab coat she wears is cold under his hand, and he wonders what her skin would feel like if he could touch it.

"I'm not that busy," Gladion confesses a tad huskily. "I just haven't found anybody I like."

She blinks. When her eyes open again under his green eyes, they are seemingly twinkling with the moonlight that washes over the room. "Somebody you like?"

"Mhm." His fingers curl around her shoulder a little tighter. He's trying to convey a message that words could never fully express; by the looks of it, the point is flying over her head. "I, uh… they weren't the right person."

Moon's lips part, but whatever she's about to say dies when his hand moves and his index curls under her chin, lifting her face to a better angle at which he can gaze into her eyes. He dimly registers that the hold on her notebook has tightened a little and that the tiniest of gasps has escaped her.

His thumb caresses her chin. He swallows a gulp. _You got this_ , his mind chants in a murmur, _just lean in_. _You know what's coming. This is the perfect opportunity. Don't let her leave again._

"I, um, I didn't like them in that way," he mutters, trying his best to _not_ stutter and to _not_ run away, because she's looking at him like a Deerling caught in the headlights, looking more candid, sweet, beautiful and soft than _ever_.

He takes a tiny step and their lips are an inch closer, his eyes closing as he leans in, inching closer and closer–

Something vibrates in the pocket of her lab coat and Moon shrieks and jumps away from reach, stuttering something half incomprehensible half unhearable and jogs to the door of his office. He watches Moon shuffle away from him whilst muttering that she has a last night lab meeting to attend to in a floor he should know about but never bothered to remember.

His hand is left hanging in the air after what seems like his tenth attempt this week alone to just man up and _fucking_ kiss her.

Gladion groans outloud and throws himself to the chair Moon had previously occupied, and detecting his despair, Silvally gets up from the sofa and nuzzles its owner's cheek. A questioning noise escapes its mouth.

"Yeah, _again_. It happened _again_."

At some point after their last group meetup and a very fortunate walk to her house, Gladion had stumbled with the realization that not only does he appreciate Moon dearly as a friend, but more so as a potential girlfriend. That night, Gladion had Moon in front of him with a smile befitting of an angel and wishing him good night, dashing in her looks and close enough for him to make a move.

However, caught up in his realization, he hadn't had any time to make his feelings be known as she had closed the door before he could even utter a good night back. In retrospect, it wouldn't have been a good idea to confess so suddenly, but those found feelings had left him aching for something more; maybe a hug, maybe a kiss.

The moment has been haunting him ever since.

It's been one month. He only began acting on it a week ago, and when he failed for the first time after tripping with air and the second time after she fell backward into a stream full of Mareanie, he's doing this out of frustration.

This is beyond ridiculous. All Gladion wants is to kiss her.

It shouldn't be difficult.

Gladion sighs into his hand, rubbing it all over his face.

It's been a long, arduous week and he needs to go to sleep.

* * *

The next time they meet, they're standing in line for the Ferris wheel at the new amusement park in Malie City. As though Alola didn't have enough with the grandeur and beauty of Malie Park or with the delicious food in its restaurants, an amusement park had been recently opened to the public and Moon and Hau had been eager to check it out.

While it's hard to drag Moon out of her laboratory or the League in her working days, the amusement park had been a bait big enough for her to bite into it and give in to the idea of a day out. Gladion and Lillie themselves aren't big fans of amusement parks themselves – Lillie hates roller coasters and Gladion hates queues – but Lillie loves cotton candy and Gladion was kind of dragged into the whole thing by Hau when he mentioned Moon was coming.

Honestly, Gladion wouldn't have seen the worth in taking a day off if he hadn't known about Moon taking it as well– not like he's that much of a sucker for her. Gladion simply finds her judgment to be amazing and if she finds the value in a day off, then it's worth checking out.

It's all about objective judgment and _not at all_ feelings that he can barely control.

The day had been nice and surprisingly tame thus far. Hau hadn't eaten all the malasadas from one single vendor like last time and Moon beat Guzma and Plumeria to a Pokémon battle when they crossed ways. They should have known better, but they left with a friendly, graceful wave that Moon had enthusiastically corresponded to.

After that, they had decided to head to the Ferris Wheel at the back of the park. Night has already settled when they get in the queue. Surprisingly, nobody has recognized neither the Aether President, the Champion, Aether's Head Botanist or the next Kahuna of Melemele– maybe because they're all heading into the queue incognito.

The idea of them being recognized in a beeline as hypothetically organized as this one had made Gladion twitch and buy sunglasses for them all in the park, as well as an Eevee cap for Moon and a Litten beanie for Hau and Lillie – the latter had just wanted to grab something matching Hau.

Moon had given Gladion a Mimikyu cap and she's still laughing at the garment as they stand in the line. She twirls one of the Mimikyuu's soft ears with her finger while he looks at the map of the park. "The color matches your hair color!"

Gladion sourly sighs. "I insist this was a very dumb idea. Unlike you three, I'm not a celebrity."

That's a bit of a lie. Moon might be famous for her abilities, Lillie might have gained some fame in the Battle Tree and Hau is an obvious popular guy since he will become the Kahuna soon; Gladion, albeit shying away from magazines, has garnered himself a very popular image after his work rebuilding the Aether Foundation and his long-standing status as the king of Battle Royale.

Calling himself a celebrity just feels _wrong_ , though. He doesn't have that kind of personality to fill in the role; he's not as shiny and fond of the people as his friends and sister are, and he _certainly_ isn't as kind and wonderful as the girl beside him is, beaming at him.

She wags her eyebrows, playful. "We needed to hide you too, President. Believe it or not, most of the girls in Alola know you _really_ well." Gladion groans faintly. "I don't get why you're complaining anyway. You look super cute with this on."

Gladion lifts his eyes from the map to her. "It looks cute on _you_. I look like Acerola decided to pick my outfit for a day."

And much to his delight, she giggles and pats his shoulder. Moon is smaller than him and the height difference has only become more evident over the years. He secretly adores it. "You can take it off when we get on– if we ever do, that is."

Much to Moon's delight, the queue speeds up once the Ferris wheel begins to rotate again and people board on it. The skeleton of the Ferris wheel is decorated with fairy lights and small Pokémon drawings: a small Raichu, a little Pikpek, a big Exeggutor, and a few Starmie, all of them surrounded with repurposed Christmas lights.

Gladion has long noticed that the way the colors and lights bounce on Moon's eyes and cheeks is extremely appealing, but he has decided to not stare at her for too long lest he commits the image to memory and falls even deeper for her than he already has.

He feels such fate can't be avoided, however, when the manager of the ride stops the four of them and evenly splits them into two couples, letting Hau and Lillie board the Ferris wheel. If the couple is unhappy, Gladion can't tell at first, but when both are within the cabin, they wave at them with a grin too wide to be innocent.

"Couples only," informs the manager, letting the next couple off the cabin.

Gladion's grip on the map grows tight and Moon laughs nervously as the manager opens the door of the cabin for them, then closes it and gives the thing a little push.

Gladion would have liked to tell him off for making such a shitty rule, but he guesses that being alone with Moon after his failed attempts to kiss her shouldn't be that uncomfortable.

Moon scoots to the end of the bench until she's sitting right by the window, but judging by how excited she is about the views, Gladion chalks it up to the views rather than his proximity. If he were to be a normal friend, he would sit at the other bench right in front of her, but he instead decides to sit close and watch the views from over her shoulder.

Her hands are pressed against the windowpane. "Look at the view! You can see Akala Island from here!"

As they rise, little by little, the dark horizon of Alola begins to sparkle with the faraway lights from what he assumes must be Konikoni City. The sky is full of stars, some of them spreading on Moon's pale skin as she gazes at all that there's above and before them. She still has that ridiculous Eevee hat on and her sunglasses are hitting the window of the cabin.

With that in mind, he slowly removes his Mimikyu hat – and realizes that she had been right about his hair matching the hat's color – and wonders when she's going to take hers off. "It's pretty."

"It _is_!" she exclaims. "I have never seen Alola from this far up!" Something occurs to her that causes her to half turn around in thought, drumming her nails on the windowpane. "I mean, the League has some good views, but Lanakila isn't _that_ pretty and the throne isn't close to the windows. I can't enjoy the view that much."

Gladion chuckles. "Considering how obnoxiously tall the stairs to the throne room are, I would have expected you to have better views. Kukui really went out to be as extra as possible with that architecture."

Moon backhands his shoulder, giving him a small smirk. "Oh, you're just cranky because you're used to Aether's elevators."

"Stairs are fine," he deadpans, scooting the littlest bit closer. "But the League has exactly four hundred and twenty steps. You could just build an elevator."

Moon blinks at him. "You counted them?"

"I had to distract myself somehow," he admits, and she looks into his eyes for elaboration. "I had a very special Champion waiting for me at the end of the staircase. I apologize for being nervous."

Had they been 11 again and they would have been blushing about his smooth comment for _ages_ , but they're older, wiser and much more used to each other's friendly flirting by now. Moon is much more prone to exercising this habit than him, so when he says that, she's taken aback at first.

Moon, however, soon smiles and gives his shoulder a friendly shove. "The feeling is reciprocated fully. You always rock the League when you come by. I wish you'd come by more often."

"Why, is the Champion of Alola missing her best rival?"

"You sure like to give yourself a pat on that one, don't you?"

"You never admit that I'm right, which counts as a victory on my part," he says with an arrogant smile that is completely false but it makes her laugh regardless. "Besides, you would _never_ admit to that. Somebody has to lay the truth out there."

Without neither of them noticing, Gladion's arm has found shelter on the back of the bench, right behind Moon's neck as she stares up at him with a mischievous smile. "You just like battling me too much. I'll have to file in a restraint order."

"You're a _very_ good trainer."

"Didn't you tell me I was a _very_ good researcher the other day?"

"You can be good at both things." He says in a very appreciative, low voice. Moon seems to snap out of their friendly banter in that instant, eyes widening behind the sunglasses. "You're good at many things."

Moon visibly relaxes against the bench of the cabin. Gladion is acutely made aware that their cabin is nearly at the top of the ride. "You're good at a lot of things too, you know."

The blond raises an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"You're very good at battling. And you've been doing a very good job with Aether." Moon isn't one to shy away from him, but as she talks, she plays with her thumbs and bites her lip; that gesture alone has him realizing that this place is a very intimate one for them to be together. Things could happen and Gladion won't make himself responsible for those. "You're also, um, a very good friend."

 _That_ 's the part that catches him off-guard. Many times have Moon and Gladion shared moments of honesty – League-related insecurities from her, stress and family issues from him – but Gladion never thought he was doing a good job at comforting her. He's a little clueless with intimacy and soft-spoken conversations and he's doing his best to get better in that department.

Hearing _Moon_ , the kindest person he knows, tell him that he's _good_ makes his stomach curl and his eyes widen. Something gets stuck on his throat and he coughs out as a dim blush appears on his cheeks.

Moon quietly asks if he's okay and he shakes his head dismissively. "It's fine– I just wasn't expecting you to say that, Arceus."

She giggles good-naturedly because Moon just _can't_ be anything but that. "I suppose I'm good at making you choke too? I didn't know I had it in me to make the President of Aether get nervous."

Gladion, a far cry from shy, recovers from his embarrassment and levels his gaze with hers, trying to peer through her sunglasses. When he finds no trace of color or sparkle behind the lenses, he decides he's had enough and gently pries the item off her face, much to her surprise. Her eyes are wide and wondrous, so much so they look like they will swallow him into unaltered bliss.

 _You got another opportunity_ , he tells himself as he gently takes hold of her cheek and caresses her cheekbone with his thumb, silent. _Don't screw this up. You won't sleep tonight if you fail again. You can do this_.

Her lips part slightly, looking deep into his green eyes as he gazes into hers. Gladion isn't the smoothest person sans when they're bickering, and he isn't the most confident of men when he's out of a Pokémon battle– but Arceus forbid him if he didn't get a sprout of bravery whenever he and Moon are alone like this.

"You're good at many things," he repeats in a low voice, inching closer. "Driving me insane is one of them."

A petite gasp escapes her. Her hands are balled into fists on her lap, her whole body seems to zap shut as his eyes fall lidded; Moon is inching a little closer herself, or maybe he's just imagining it because he's getting closer, closer, knees touching, her perfume intoxicating his brain, their lips barely a graze away–

Under them, the Ferris wheel _shakes_ and Moon jumps into his arms as he gathers her in his embrace and she reaches for her Decidueye on her belt and he reaches for Silvally, both shrieking as the cabins around them break into panic.

An announcement comes from the speakers.

" _We are terribly sorry to announce that the Ferris wheel has suffered a mild sabotage by a small group of gangsters with baggy clothes. The security forces are working on identifying the culprits, but please do hang on to your seats_."

The announcement says something else but Moon is shaking in his arms, Gladion is sure he's shaking himself and he wants to _scream_ because he had been so close he wants to fling himself to the seas of Alola and swim to his own death.

Needless to say, Gladion doesn't try again and both remain close to one another until they leave the ride with wobbly legs.

When Gladion gets home, he throws himself to his bed and screams loudly into his pillow.

* * *

They meet again after work at the Aether Conservation Site. She's taking notes on a small notebook, standing in front of a steep pond with two Starmie roaming about.

As he approaches her, he notes that the soles of her boots are tattered and that she presents a small cut on her cheek– no doubt she just came back from League duties and he instantly hates that she's _here_ instead of resting.

The starlight of midnight shines through the glass galleries above them, throwing blue moonlight over her clothes and slightly tousled hair.

"You shouldn't be here this late at night," comments Gladion as he walks up to her. Her frame instantly tenses and her pen falls to the floor. "I have hired people that work less than you. It's ridiculous."

Moon quickly bends down and takes her pen back, pouting at Gladion as she readjusts her lab coat. "You know I like coming here after my day at the League is over. I just thought I'd take some notes. I'm not working right now."

His eyes narrow in suspicion. "So you're telling me that you were here to go sightseeing and _simply_ decided to do some work?"

In her nonchalance and ignorance, Moon blinks. "What's wrong with that?"

Gladion should say that nothing is wrong– after all, he has done that same thing a few times so he can't be a hypocrite and tell her to go home. However, his care for her goes beyond whatever shame she might put him through for such contradiction, so he shoves his hands into his lab coat and clicks his tongue.

"I told you several times that you don't need to come by so often. Wicke herself has told you so a few times." Fearing she might misunderstand his words, he hurries to elaborate. "It's not that I don't appreciate your help– I just don't want you to overwork yourself because–"

Moon, as understanding as ever and about ten times ahead of him in this conversation, puts a soothing hand on his shoulder and smiles at him as if _he_ is the tired one. Her eyes don't shine as bright as always and he _hates_ that he can tell the difference between her regular smiles and the one she's pulling up now.

Gladion briefly wonders if she can tell those differences in his own expression, too. "You worry too much, Gladion." Moon boops his nose with her finger, and the gesture is so foreign it visibly startles him. She giggles. "I'm fine. If anything, you're the one who should be getting rest. You work a little too much."

"I'm doing fine," he grumbles, his everlasting frown deepening as he tugs at the collar of his jersey under the coat. "You're the one working after-hours and, as you can see now, I'm not working right now."

"But you probably were a few minutes ago," Moon counters, focusing on her notes again. "Besides, why do you think I come so often anyway? Do you think I'm just here to _work_?"

Confused, he gives her an odd look. "What do you mean?"

Moon remains silent, as though she's giving him time to process her words. The water at their feet ripples as the Starmie move closer to them, clearly interested in the conversation. When they show Moon a gracious twirl and a small trill, the latter laughs and kneels to their level.

Her breathing is a little jagged and she's tired. Of course she's not here only to work, Gladion realizes– she's here to see _him_ , too.

Biting his lip, Gladion looks to a side lest she sees the very evident blush stinging his cheeks. Moon rises again as she turns a page and scribbles more on the notebook– that damn notebook that's keeping her busy and preventing her from getting any sleep.

In hindsight, Gladion should feel responsible that she resorts to working to squeeze some hours in and visit him; after all, they barely meet outside Aether Paradise and that's because he's _that_ busy. If he did as he told her to and actually rested more, worked less, then perhaps they'd meet in less tight situations.

But Gladion is _done_ with this. He's stumbled with her working after-hours too many times already. It's not a surprise anymore to catch Moon, Alola's _Champion_ , doing extra work for a foundation that she does _not_ work for. He knows she can manage just fine but he doesn't want to see the day she _can't_ manage and breaks down because she's working too much and resting too little.

With a swift, smooth move, Gladion snatches the notebook from her and holds it up where she can't reach it. Moon immediately turns to him and tries to grab it again, but he takes a step back. "What are you doing? You're being childish now!"

"You know perfectly well I would have _never_ resorted to these measures when we were kids, Moon," he says half-sternly and half-affectionately. It's absurd how she has to get on her tippy toes to reach the notebook; he holds it a little higher. "You need to go home and get some sleep. No more writing and no more _working_."

"I'm only taking notes!" Moon takes a step closer, so much so that the distance between them is growing thinly dangerous. "Are you _that_ petty? You can't just up and kick me out!"

"I can and I _will_ ," Gladion says, wiggling the notebook back and forth as she tries to reach it; all she can manage is to brush it with her nails. "I'm the President, remember? And I'm sending you on a week-long vacation."

"You said that I don't work here! You can't block a volunteer off like that!"

"Then I'll simply block your ID on the card readers and done." Moon gasps, clearly offended by this idea, and Gladion smirks. "What is it? It's just a week off, Moon."

Her cheeks puff in clear frustration. "I told you I'm not here to just _work_! I'm also here to see you!"

That notion from before catches him off-guard, more so her admitting to that reality again than anything. "Then I'll make some space in my schedule to meet up, but you need to stop overworking yourself!"

"I'm doing fine!"

"No, you're not."

"I _am_! You're the one who's constantly overworking yourself!" A crooked smile fills her cheeks. "You also know that you would _never_ survive a whole week without me putting a blanket over you when you fall asleep in your office. Don't think I haven't seen that either, President."

"Arceus, it was _you_ covering me with the blanket?"

"Who else would it be, genius?" she giggles whilst trying to reach the notebook. Pretending to be unfazed, he holds it a little higher until she has to put a hand on his chest for support and her body is brushing with his and– "Just give me the notebook!"

Trying to help her find balance, he puts his free hand on her hip. Gladion doesn't even realize he's done that until her body finally meets his and her warmth takes over his system like water washing over him.

Then, Moon is about to say something else but she seems to realize the mildly compromising position they're in: his hand on her hip, hers on his chest and his other lowering as their noses brush and their eyes meet. The deep gray of her eyes reflects the blue clouds of the sky above them, and in his trance, he swears he can hear the crossing stars and galaxies twinkling in her irises.

Gladion will never _not_ get lost in her eyes when they're alone and close like this; sighing, he lowers his hand as she lowers hers, and the notebook is left on the fence behind her as his arms cage her against his chest and she smothers a yawn into his chest.

"I'm fine," she says into his shirt. "You just worry too much, Gladion."

"How can I _not_ worry? Working two jobs full-time like this can't be good for you."

A sigh. Her hands curl against his chest and her nose brushes his neck and Gladion has to bite back a shudder at that. "You work from dusk until dawn and run on more coffee than what the human body can handle. _That_ is unhealthy."

Much to his complete doom and pleasure, she places a hand on his chest and gives him this concerned look Moon pulls off like it's second nature. Considering that everyone in their tight, close circle has lived (and still lives) questionable lives in terms of stress and sleep, the worry in her eyes seems more like a tattoo shining under the lights than a casual display of concern.

She worries too much about too many people and works too much for too many things. Gladion _hates_ that about her even if he's irrevocably in love with her stubbornness and kindness in equal parts.

"You being here after-hours _is_ unhealthy. You will end up giving me a heart attack one day."

And the conversation carries itself to a smooth end, holding her in his arms and gazing into her eyes like she's the sky and he's but a small squirrel looking up from a hill. Her gaze invites him in, pulls him to her like a magnet, and he's foolish enough to let her carry him along and inch closer. In his arms, as his eyes close, he feels her shift to tiptoe and reach him better to where he can cup her cheek, feeling her presence, her lips brushing his–

But abruptly, heels in the distance alert Moon and her eyes blow open as she pushes herself off from his embrace, topples over the fence and falls ungracefully to the pond with the Starmie.

When Gladion snaps out of his trance and hears the splash and Wicke calling his name, he leans over the fence and calls her name. Moon eventually surfaces from the shallow waters, sitting up with a very embarrassed and frustrated expression.

The Starmie pat her back and help her stand as Wicke tells him about the hundred meetings he has tomorrow while he wonders if Moon had pushed herself off because he was about to kiss her or if it had been Wicke's entrance which startled her.

Gladion lets the question stir in his head for an unhealthy amount of time before he releases an ungodly scream into his pillow for the umpteenth time and falls asleep like that.

* * *

"When I said I was busy I _meant_ it, Moon."

"Don't be so grumpy! It will take just a minute of your time and it will make me happy for the whole day!"

Gladion sighs, but a smirk comes to life with her words. "Now, that's a deal I can't say no to."

Moon throws him a grin over her shoulder, tugging at his wrist down the lobby of Aether Paradise. "That's what I like to hear!"

As much as Gladion hates people interrupting him like she had just done, her charm always prevents him from ever getting angry at her no matter the situation or time of day. Her purposes are usually harmless: sometimes, she wants to go hunt down ghosts at the haunted Pokémart in Ula-Ula, other times she wants to go rafting down the Lake of the Sunne.

Today, Moon is taking him to a photo booth; but it's not any booth in Alola, it's a booth that had just been opened in the lobby of Aether Paradise.

Wicke had had this idea a while back and voiced it to Gladion when the latter had been too tired to care; it's the reason why most of these miscellaneous whims on Wicke's part are approved and eventually come to existence. Gladion had admittedly forgotten about it and he hadn't expected for her to go through with an idea that ridiculous.

But since the photo booth had opened about a week ago, more children had come by with their families and that meant a little extra money to spend on improving the foundation.

And Moon had discovered the booth just today, so when she realized that they had never taken a photo alone together, she just grabbed him and ran with him down the hallways and to the lobby.

Eager as she is, Moon pushes the curtains of the small booth open. The space is smaller than Gladion had expected, which poses a problem: that being that he doesn't want to sit _that_ close to Moon.

Scratch that; he _wants_ to be as close to her as possible, but her proximity is making him fidgety and nervous lately. Anytime she sits by him for lunch or touches his shoulder his whole body zaps shut. It might be that his failed attempts at kissing her have thawed his patience when it comes to their friendship and maybe, just maybe, his impatience could break him into twain and he doesn't want to try to kiss her anymore.

There have been too many interruptions. Life is clearly telling him to _not_ kiss her. Arceus is pushing boundaries between them and Gladion isn't one to not see these things when they're so blatantly in front of them.

Gladion wants to kiss her. But he knows he'll never succeed so he's refraining from even thinking about it.

But now he's sitting right by her side in this small booth and Moon has turned on the camera. She has mentioned a few times that she had taken pictures with Hau and Lillie during her Island Challenge years ago, so it comes as no surprise that she knows how these things work.

Moon elbows him good-naturedly. "All you have to do is smile at the camera. Just a little smile. I don't need you to grin or laugh hysterically like Hau does in photos but… you know."

Gladion arches an eyebrow. "Does Hau do these things with that much energy? How is he even alive?"

"No clue. He's always so energetic. But we don't need to be like him."

Sneaky like a Sneasel and with a smile befitting an angelic Milotic, she curls her arm around his back. The warmth of her hand on his back is oddly soothing. Her head is turned to him as if expecting questions from him, and all he wants to ask is if he's supposed to outshine her brilliant smiles.

Gladion wonders what she could be thinking about to smile so often and so sweetly. "I'm not good at being taken pictures," he confesses. "I don't think we ever took photos at Team Skull, and I _hate_ photocalls during those fancy charity galas Lillie throws each Christmas."

She giggles. "It's not like you don't know how to smile. I've seen you smiling a lot."

In reality, Gladion does smile plenty of times, but it's not something he wants to admit to; both because he's that argumentative and at some point in his life he decided that smiling was for weak cowards, which he's been unlearning over time.

It's still hard for him to show outright bursts of happiness, even if he does that an awful lot now– especially when Moon is around.

Gladion narrows his eyes in doubt. "You seem to like my smiles a lot just by how you're talking about them, Miss Champion."

She squares the arrow of his flirting with utmost grace, smiling even brighter. "Maybe I do. It wouldn't hurt to see you smile more openly. I just see you happy when you're having coffee or when you play with Silvally." she hesitates. "Or when the four of us hang out together and you think I'm not looking."

His body grows rigid at her tease, making her huff a laugh that has no noise but carries meaning instead. As most things between them, they have always been tangled in this secret, unspoken game of never keeping their eyes off of each other, of catching the subtle glances and the soft smiles, the teasing winks and the kind of gazes that make his heart weak.

His arm curls around her shoulders, pushing her an inch closer. Her eyes peer at him intensely, noses brushing as the temperature in the photo booth rises with each of her sighs that slips past her lips and lands on his now awaiting ones.

"So you want me to smile?" he whispers.

Moon bites her lip, tilting her head and nodding. "I'd love to have a picture with you smiling. You have a very pretty smile."

Her eyes are a little more hooded than usual, looking at him with uncanny, burning interest. There's nobody outside the photo booth. They're alone, close to each other, her words making the world stop for the four seconds he remains quiet, thinking his answer through.

He's still trying to not give in; but then she nips on her lip, undecided, and–

"There's a way you could make me smile." He gives in, eyes sinking to her parted lips. "But I don't know if it would make _you_ smile."

Moon sucks in a very little, telling breath that makes his stomach twist. Her other hand raises to his lab coat, bunching the fabric as she bites her lip. "I think it would."

Gladion holds his breath. His fingers curl around her shoulder and he pushes her closer, twisting her body to lean closer to him. His left hand is shaking slightly in anticipation, but it rises to cup her neck tenderly and angle her face to his commodity, foreheads touching briefly before he decides to take the leap, feeling her fingers tighten around his shirt. His head is flooded with the color of her eyes, the splash of perfume she carries with her and the small gasp she lets out when their lips brush for the umpteenth time–

The curtains shake and a small Pokémon flies into the photo booth haphazardly, making Moon break off and squeal as she takes the small Rowlet into her arms.

It's a Pokémon Gladion knows well– Moon has been working with it for some time after Professor Kukui handed it to her. It's the only Pokémon in Aether Paradise that can't biologically evolve– a case only someone as stubborn and competent as Moon would take.

Moon calls its name, stuttering, and the creature coos and nudges Moon's neck with its forehead as Gladion looks at his own hand, disbelief written over his features.

An Aether employee runs towards the booth. "Ma'am, I'm so sorry about Rowlet! It was looking for you and–"

Moon, disturbed but always kind, waves a dismissive hand at the employee. "It's, um, it's okay! It was my fault for, uh, getting distracted. With things."

Yeah, _things_ being them kissing and Gladion wants to groan. Loudly.

The employee only notices the President when Moon hurries out of the booth. "Ah, the Miss left in a hurry. Her cheeks were all red, did anything happen?"

If Gladion were to say that nothing happened and that _that's_ the worst thing of today, the employee would think he has gone insane. With that in mind, Gladion shuffles out of the photo booth, storms into his office and proceeds to curse his luck while stroking Silvally's mane, wondering what did he ever do wrong to deserve this luck.

* * *

The weather is placid tonight, that much Gladion can tell from the small window giving sight to the endless seas of Alola at night. Buried one floor under in a lonely lab, it's hard to tell the time when there are no clocks and the only thing telling the time are the waves and the drops of water falling from a tap.

Gladion would like to say he's too busy working to go somewhere and look at the time; unfortunately, he's too busy staring at his fellow non-official workmate Moon from the back of the room as she places another test on the glass pot, carefully letting a drop fall to the liquid, glasses on and posture taut.

Much to the President's chagrin, Moon had pushed him to the back and told him that this experiment could go awry despite the many hours of calculations and work they've put into this. She's talked about exploding bottles, about hairs being burnt to a crisp and eyes being burnt out of their sockets.

That last one had been an exaggeration, no doubt.

The drop drips to the container. A second passes and nothing happens.

Luckily, she had also exaggerated about the possibilities of failure of this test, and soon enough, she's taking off her goggles and beckoning at him to come closer.

A breathy chuckle escapes her as she takes notes about the outcomes. "I suppose Wicke's hunch about using Pheromosa's salvia was right. That woman will never not surprise me. Never thought her idea would work."

Gladion takes off his goggles, coming from behind her with an easy smile. It's easy to smile when she's the only one in the room and, most likely, the entirety of Aether Paradise. "You're too stubborn."

"And so are you! You're the one who didn't wanna take too many risks."

"Can you blame me? I don't want my labs to be blown to pieces. You shouldn't have an issue with my property being damaged." Gladion places his glasses on the table beside hers, hands in the pockets of his lab coat. He looks at her notes from a side. "What now?"

"I will run a few more tests tomorrow," she says as she runs a hand up and down her neck, probably to rub off the tension. Gladion would give anything to be confident enough to ask her if he can help. "I got a few meetings to attend in Sinnoh next week, so I'll probably be gone for a week or so. I hope you don't mind your best assistant being missing for a while."

Gladion rolls his eyes with a smirk, all in jest. "Oh, I'll _thrive_ without you here. One less worry on my back."

"Come on, you _love_ me being around," Moon teases as she drops the notebook on the table, stirring the now harmless mixture in the container absent-mindedly. "Who else is going to invite you for coffee when you're all grumpy and angry at Faba? You still owe me some Poké, just so you know."

Gladion leans on the table, arms crossed. "And you owed me those Poké after I invited you to those Malasadas after the Battle Royale last week, remember?"

Moon clears her throat. "My mind is, um, foggy."

"Your mind is _selective_."

She takes the proverbial jab with elegance, smiling with a flame ignited in her eyes; a flame that Gladion is proud of because only _he_ can set her off like this. Their quips, their back and forths, and their differences are mostly artificial and product of a friendship too uncanny to be destroyed by whatever time she will be away.

Gladion has known about her departure for at least a week, which has been enough time for him to prepare for her absence, yet he isn't quite ready for it. Moon has been a core piece of Aether since she collaborated with Wicke on the UB case no matter how much Gladion refuses to admit it; her absence will be noticed, mourned and Gladion will be angry about it for the first two days.

Maybe he will be moody and grumpy for a while more, though, because she's never been gone for _that_ long. Gladion has his meetings in Kalos and his trips to Unova. He's the one in the move all the time, so busy that he barely notices Moon isn't keeping him company.

This is the only time _he_ will stay in Alola and _she_ will be gone; this is her first departure after he started noticing that Moon makes his days about twice as bright as usual and that he sort of, kind of _adores_ her.

Which brings him to his next point.

Gladion grabs her attention with a simple cough, a small touch at the small of her back where the ties of her lab coat hang loose.

"I hope you bring souvenirs for Hau. He likes the pastries they make there," Gladion says, voice tender and a little unlike him, but he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and her eyes widen, forgetting about that fact. "Expect about five calls a day from Wicke asking if you're okay."

Moon chuckles. "And don't forget about Professor Kukui. And Lillie."

"Oh, I forgot about Lillie. You're lucky she won't handcuff herself to you and demand you take her with you." Both smile at that. "She loves the weather there."

And the conversation carries off into small chuckles at the mental image of Lillie's demands and her passion for snow, and then melts into those soft looks and small smiles he knows like the back of his hand. Her eyes always hint at a hidden desire, a feeling deeper than words and books could describe, but there has never been an opportunity to let it shine.

Gladion wonders if he's seeing himself in her eyes, if he's making things up in a foolish wish for her to feel the same.

She's not breaking eye contact, though, and they have fallen steadily into this silence, into this middle ground where they can either stay and explore what _everything_ means or walk out the door and forget about it.

In his eyes, his attempts to take their friendship one step further will be forgotten once she boards the ferry to Sinnoh. Gladion doesn't know how she feels about it, and maybe the first step to take is to say how _he_ feels.

"I'm going to miss you," he confesses in a whisper, fearful that he will break this delicate moment if he talks any louder. "You make things a little less terrible here in Aether– no, you make them _great_ , and I will miss that."

"I know the feeling," she says just a breathy, just as unsure, just as gentle. "Whenever you leave, I feel the same. Aether is kind of empty without its President." Moon's lips curl to a sincere smile. "Wicke and Lillie will be around. And Hau. And Ilima, if worse comes to worst."

Yeah, but it's not the same for the President of a foundation to leave than for probably the _most famous authority in Alola_ to leave. Alola has many people in it, many families scattered throughout its islands, yet Gladion feels like the world is a little empty when she's not around.

And Lillie and Moon are certainly _not_ the same. And she's also different from Hau. And Wicke. And Ilima.

"It's… not the same," Gladion says, unsure.

But all meaning behind his hesitation is lost to her. "What do you mean?"

"Ilima is… a colleague at best, and Wicke is my employee. And maybe a friend, but she's more of a worker than an actual friend, you know. Maybe even family." Moon nods curtly. "Lillie is my sister and Hau is one of my best friends, sure, but, uh, you…"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you're… different." Gladion struggles when he says this. His grimace of discomfort and nervousness says it all. "You're not like them."

Moon's lips quiver as if to conceal a smile. "So I'm not your friend? Are we back to the 'you're only my rival phase'? It took me _ages_ to get you out of that pha–"

" _No_ ," he hisses, a faint blush splashing on his cheeks. "That's not it. You're one of my best friends too, but it's just that you're not like Hau. Or anyone else."

For a second, it looks like she has caught his drift. Her eyes widen again in a telltale manner, so much so he's sure he's never seen them as wide and wondrous as this before. Moon shifts a little closer, as though she's trying to read his intent by the look on his face alone.

Gladion fears she might see all the love and affection he's taken so long to disguise.

But Moon is kind, wise, and ever so patient. "If I'm not like the rest," she begins, uncertain, biting her lip. Their noses brush as she gives him a courageous gaze, "what am I, then?"

It's at that moment that Gladion realizes he will never tell her what he feels with words– it's useless. His tongue has tied itself into a knot and all eloquence he puts to use in meetings and conferences is lost when it comes to her. He can only pray and beg for gestures to do the trick, for his lips to silence her doubts and for the barrier to be crossed.

Gladion hopes that a kiss is all they need to destroy the last wall standing between them.

The moment he leans a little further, the rest of the world shuts off. Green eyes study charcoal in adoration and wonder, eyelids falling shut as she tiptoes to meet him halfway. A tiny sound between a gasp and a sigh escapes her, pulling him closer to her, calling him like a siren, their lips brushing, his fingers hovering over her cheek–

Nothing from outside interrupts them; no thunder, no tsunami, no meteorites, and no nosy employees.

It's her hand on his chest which halts him and prompts him to open his eyes. A violent, red blush coats her cheeks and ears, and her expression is the epitome of embarrassment. "I, um, I can't. I'm– I'm sorry, I have to go!"

It happens so fast he barely registers her moving away from him. It's either devastation or devastation invading his gut, or maybe it's _both_. She escapes his embrace with uncanny haste, grabbing her bag from the door and bolting out of the door before he can get a word in.

But Gladion, ever so impatient for the things he likes and _adores_ , has had enough, and decides that he needs to explain himself or else their friendship will be ruined and _Arceus that can't happen_.

"Moon, wait!"

Their steps are the only thing making noise in the hallway of the laboratories, other than the perpetual whir of machines in the background. She's shuffling to the elevators with a speed he has never seen in her, and Gladion is certain that if he lets her get away without explaining himself, he will _never_ live it down.

The elevator, much to her disgrace and his saving grace, doesn't come right away and this moment of waiting allows him to catch up to her. Moon backs herself against a wall, trembling.

"Moon, I swear, what happened in there–"

"It's not your fault!"

Moon's sudden yelp throws him off for a second. He takes a moment to search for fear in her eyes, maybe a hint that he has screwed up real bad and that he needs to leave her alone– but there's conflict, there's embarrassment and there's some sort of _shame_ that ticks him off terribly.

"What–" The elevator swishes open. "What do you mean? I tried to kiss you, of course it–"

"No, it isn't!" Moon insists, eyes closed as she shakes her hands around as though she wants him away from her; it's exactly the opposite sentiment she had displayed about a minute ago. "I– um, I just– can we talk about this somewhere else? Not here? Please?"

It's rare to see the Champion of Alola nervous and skittish, so, of course, he respects her wishes and nods, walking into the elevator with her. Moon presses herself against the wall of the elevator as he chances it and presses the button to the roof of the building. The tension between them and her constant trembling is seriously concerning him, so much so that he tries to walk closer to her; in response, she squeaks and runs to the doors when they part open.

The top floor of Aether Paradise is a glorified balcony lit with lights and a few plants here and there. Barely anyone comes up here due to the harsh winds that blow in the altitude, so far up the sea that he's sure many people have developed vertigo just by looking down.

The weather is pleasant enough tonight for there to be no wind, just a mild breeze. Moon rushes to the railing of the balcony, making sure he can't see an inch of her face as he stares off into the sea.

Gladion, disturbed by her distress, stumbles to explain himself. "Moon, I didn't mean to freak you out this much. Are you o–"

"I'm sorry."

That small, murmured apology is what throws him off the most; she sounds so shy and conflicted it might as well be a stranger standing in front of him.

The sigh that escapes her tells him there's more to this apology, so he lets her explain herself. When she looks at him again, she's blushing like mad and sporting a pair of pursed lips, shoulders tense and arms wrapped around herself. Her bag has fallen to her feet.

"I didn't mean to, um, ruin our first kiss!" At least she's acknowledging that it nearly happened; that's a step in the right direction. "I got really nervous suddenly because I hadn't, uh, envisioned our first kiss happening in the laboratory and my brain said _stop_ , you know?" Wait, she had envisioned it? What– "It's very silly, I know, but I just didn't want it to happen there of all places and I _know_ I shouldn't have pulled away, I was just–"

All the meaning behind her rambling catches up to him in slow trickles of information, each of them making his lips curl further and further into a smile. "Moon–"

But she's not done. " _Listen_ , Lillie told me to _not_ freak out over this if it didn't happen like I wanted it to because first kisses don't happen like we all want to and I'm just too much of a perfectionist to settle, you know? I just wanted it to be perfect and it _was_ perfect and I ruined it and–"

Gladion looks up at the starry sky above them, at the moonlight washing over her and then, at the object of his affections running on a ramble that can only end in disaster; that is, unless he steps in.

"Would this place suffice?"

His even cut through her charade confuses her, yet she gives him a nod. "I-I guess? It's much prettier than down there at the laboratory and–"

Halfway into his way to her, Gladion realizes that waiting for the things he likes isn't something he can do or something he will ever be good at; that's why he decides that he can't wait anymore, because she has wanted this for a long time too, and that in taking things slowly he has missed the point entirely.

So when he's right in front of her, Gladion takes her cheeks into his hands and kisses her fervently, gathering her into his arms like she's the only air he can breathe and the only thing he can taste. Moon tiptoes to reach him, eyes wide open and turmoil slowly dying as she smiles and places her hands on his chest for leverage; when Gladion is sure she won't escape him anymore, his arms curl around her waist.

Moon fits against him like it was meant to be, and her lips slide against his like this is a rhythm they have known for all their lives. In hindsight, maybe his heart has been waiting for this moment for far longer than his mind has allowed it to, and his feverish kissing might be a result of his impatience. All the tiny noises that escape her fuel the fire inside of him even further. He becomes dizzy with wanton, drunk by her taste and absolutely mesmerized by the tingling feeling of her lips against his.

A sigh escapes her, and he swallows it. He nips into her bottom lip and tilts his head to kiss her deeper, to feel her harder and to love her stronger. Her arms loop around his neck and her fingers wind into his hair, and he's holding her so strongly he swears her feet leave the ground for a second. Every inch her hands touch feels like wildfire and each space that her body isn't covering feels cold, lonely, aching for more of her.

A squeak of hers forces the kiss to break, and Gladion lowers her an inch so her feet touch the ground again; their eyes, however, stay connected, foreheads touching. "I thought I had messed it up," she confesses, laughing shakily. "Guess I was wrong."

He chuckles with her. This has been a long time coming. "You could never screw this up considering I've been consistently trying to kiss you for a few weeks now."

Moon's coy nature is shattered for a brief moment. "I.. I kinda thought I was just imagining it."

His eyes turn stale. "You're kidding."

She bites her lip guiltily. "I never imagined the President of Aether would, um, like me that way. You're always so poised and serious I never thought you'd make a move on me and–"

And all Gladion has to do is kiss her senseless again to silence her; and when she kisses him back, he guesses that all the nights screaming into his pillow and the frustrating non-first kisses had been worth it in the end.

**Author's Note:**

> _BLOWS CORNET_ HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR TRASHCAN I HOPE MY TRASH SUFFICES AND THAT I DIDN'T LET YOU DOWN BGTHUSO I hope you have the best birthday ever and you take the day for some self-care HAVE A GOOD TIME AND DON'T MIND ME AS I SPREAD MY TRASH EVENLY IN THE FANDOM RFUOKS
> 
> god I hate EVERYTHING about this fic because the dialogue is SO CRANKY I LOWKEY KINDA DETEST IT TBKGRUFSO but for the rest of readers thank you for reading and I love making Gladion just NOT BE ABLE TO KISS MOON he's frustrated I love frustrated Gladion and now I sleep bye /zzzzz


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